The Barmaid
by JijiWrites
Summary: This story is a story of Kings and Clans. It is a story of Strains and barmaids. It is a story of happiness. But most of all, this is the story of Aoi Tanaka. {This is the rewritten version of The Barmaid by OnceUponALovelyDream. Originally I renamed it 'Heaven's Gonna Wait' but then reverted back to the current title. Rated 'T' for swearing and mild violence.}
1. Prologue- Curtain Up

Aoi Tanaka was an average sort of person. She was cheerful, maybe, beautiful incontestably, but average nonetheless. She had average grades, average popularity, average creative abilities. She was just average; normal in fact. Positively ordinary.

It was her utter average-ness that lead her to move countries, this time alone at the age of eighteen, to live with her uncle's son Izumo Kusanagi. This man _wasn't_ quite as average as his cousin, but we'll come to that later.

It was also her average-ness that gave her potential, that allowed her to be part of a world she should not know of. Her complete ordinarity was, in a way, what made her different from anyone else. It is debatable, however, if any of this was a good thing.

This story is a story of Kings and Clans. It is a story of Strains and barmaids. It is a story of happiness. But most of all, this is the story of Aoi Tanaka.


	2. Chapter 1- Aoi Doesn't Listen

**Chapter 1- Aoi Doesn't Listen**

-SHIZUME CITY AIRPORT, SHIZUME-

Our heroine of a kind, Aoi Tanaka, leaned back against the brick wall of the airport, one arm wrapped around her stomach and the other hand gripping her phone. Due to a series of unfortunate occurrences, she was told in as little detail as possible, her cousin would be late to pick her up from the airport. Aoi heaved a sigh and allowed her shoulders, unusually broad for a woman, to slump.

She couldn't say it surprised her. Her cousin was, well, a lazy git for the most part. She should have seen it coming.

Aoi took the opportunity, handed to her by the prospect of at least another half hour of waiting, to reacquaint herself with the idea of being in Japan. Taking a seat on one of her two suitcases she breathed in deeply and sighed, drinking in the sights, the smells. There was something about Japan that she loved that you could never find in England. Her thoughts wandering across the ocean and back to her old home in England, the girl slipped into a daydream, her eyes glazing over as she stared off into the distance with her chin in the palm of her hand.

Huffing in annoyance, Aoi sat back. There was no point in thinking about England; she had left for a reason. Presently and for the foreseeable future she was and would be in Japan, so that is where her thoughts would stay.

The teenager ran a hand through her thick brown curls, her pert features twisting into a scowl as she caught a knot. After fumbling for the hairbrush she stashed in her handbag (once she read the _Percy Jackson_ series she made certain all her hair-brushes were both blue and plastic for they seemed to be the most useful kind) she set to work removing the lug, her irritation beginning to show.

_Brush. _Where. _Brush. _Was. _Brush. _Izumo?

-HOMRA BAR, SHIZUME-

"Now, do you remember what I told you?" Izumo asked his friends for the fourth time, his index finger pinching the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to hold his mental state together just by that action. How hard could it be to remember how to look after a customer? Pretty damn hard if this was anything to go by.

_"Yes." _The boys in front of him replied, sullenly. Yata Misaki and Rikio Kamamoto; probably not the ideal bar-sitters but considering his only other options were a nine year old girl and a sullen oaf who wouldn't surface until well past noon, Izumo decided he would take his chances.

"Good, it took you long enough." Kusanagi said with a sigh, shrugging his coat on and producing his car keys from a pocket. "Now I'm going to pick up my cousin. _Be careful_."

Izumo moved at his usual leisurely pace out of the door and to his car, despite being half an hour late, even taking out a cigarette and lighting it up. It wasn't that he didn't care about picking up his cousin, it was just that it wasn't in his nature to hurry.

Once at the airport it didn't take him long to pick out his cousin from the others outside the airport. She was the one with the distinctly irritated look on her face; her pink lips sloping diagonally in disgust, her boot heel tapping staccato on the pavement.

"Oi." Izumo grinned lazily, leaning out of his open window and waving to the girl. "You need a ride?"

Aoi looked up and visibly brightened when she saw her cousin. Hopping off the suitcase she ran to greet Izumo as he got out of the car, her dress flying in the wind behind her.

"Izumo!" She launched herself at the man in her excitable way while her cousin skittered backwards a few steps, laughing.

"Aoi." His voice was amused, but affectionate as he returned the embrace, one hand on the top of her head. She was tall, now, taller than when he had last seen her. Then again, the last time he saw her she had been twelve years old. Since then she had, well, _matured. _Not grown, of course, her head didn't graze the bottom of his chin, but matured most definitely. "You look good."

"And you look late." Aoi stepped back, a childish grin sending her mouth askew. "What took you so long, idiot?"

"There were...complications." Izumo explained as he picked up one suitcase and she picked up the other. "Don't worry about it, it's all sorted now."

At least, he hoped it was.

* * *

"So I'm living with you above the bar, right?" Aoi asked in between sucks of a strawberry lollipop she had produced from her bag. They were in Izumo's car, on the way back to the bar, and she had already made herself comfortable with her feet up on the dashboard and her seat laid almost flat.

"_And_ working there." Izumo reminded her. There was no way she was living with him rent free; the girl ate like a horse. The girl in question waved a hand dismissively, popping the sweet back into her mouth and sitting up. She began to fiddle with the tuning on the radio, her short, and a little pudgy, fingers twiddling the dials clumsily at first, trying to find some decent music. Izumo frowned and reached a hand out, clouting her over the head only a little lighter than he would with the boys. "_Oi."_

"I know, I know." Aoi sighed in that exaggerated way teenagers do. "Jeez you're so boring. I hope you haven't turned _old _on me."

A little affronted but loathe to show it, Izumo turned his eyes back to the road.

"I prefer _distinguished." _He told her. They were half way home now, the few trees that lined the side of the small roads disappearing as they entered the heart of the city where Izumo's bar was situated. As he drove, Izumo slipped a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and placed them on his lap, shuffling one out and between his lips. After a few moments he had it lit and the remainder of the pack was back in his jacket.

"Oh God, you don't still _smoke _do you?"

_1...2...3...4...5..._

Izumo took in a deep breath. It was happening already. He adored his cousin to the ends of the Earth and, normally, they got along brilliantly. However, there were a few subjects, smoking being one of them, that regularly caused arguments.

_6...7...8...9...10._

"Ah-you needn't say it like that." He said, still in his characteristic, cheerful voice. "Yes, I do still smoke."

As if to demonstrate the point (or simply annoy her further, take your pick), Izumo removed the cancer stick from his lips and blew a steady stream of smoke out of the window. Aoi wrinkled her nose.

"You're disgusting."

"How charming you have become, Aoi. So mature, too."

The two cousins bickered, in the same smartass way every member of their family seemed to, their way to the bar. By the time they had arrived, Izumo had put his cigarette out on the condition that she keep quiet about the subject for _at least _two days. Not that he was having regrets, but he was beginning to wonder about taking in his half-English, half-Japanese waif of a cousin. Really she _could _have stayed in England with her parents, but for some reason she was dead set on leaving.

Izumo resolved to get it out of her, somehow. He wasn't sure how that would work exactly, but he'd figure it out eventually.

He passed Aoi one of her suitcases from the back of the car and took the other for himself, shutting the boot easily with one hand and leading her towards the door of the bar. Anna could be downstairs, possibly Mikoto too and Totsuka should have arrived by now. Apart from that he had left Rikio and Yata in charge.

Bracing himself for the worst, Izumo opened the door to find Totsuka flying towards him. Used to the rowdiness, Izumo didn't even flinch, though he noticed Aoi was a little taken aback at first.

"Ah-Kusanagi! You're back!" Totsuka exclaimed, excitedly, running towards the door. "I'm trying out a new dish and I need you to-" He paused, noticing Aoi. "Oh, hello!" Entirely unfazed, he waved at the teenager and introduced himself. "I'm Totsuka Tatara; you must be Kusanagi's cousin!"

"That's me." Aoi gave a bright smile and a wave. "I'm Tanaka Aoi, it's nice to meet you."

The boy seemed nice, she decided instantly. He had one of those rare, infectious smiles that brightens up anyone's mood. He had mousy brown hair, wore white button down shirt and black trousers and had the top of one ear pierced, though he barely stopped moving long enough for her to notice it.

"You too. You just flew in from England, correct?" Totsuka ushered Aoi inside, chattering as he moved. "I just finished baking; a new recipe of my own invention! I'll bring it through; you must be starving (I needed someone to taste test it anyway)."

Aoi, now entirely at ease, allowed herself to be ushered and took a seat at one of the barstools while Totsuka disappeared into the kitchen. Izumo, left with the bags, sighed heavily and picked them both up. He should have known Totsuka and Aoi would get on, they were very alike. Neither of them shut up, for one thing.

"I'll take these upstairs." Izumo told Aoi. "Make yourself at home."

Aoi gave the tired kind of nod everyone gives when they begin to realise that they are, in fact, tired, and rested her chin on her hand, her elbow braced against the bar. Moments later, Totsuka relatively skipped out of the kitchen, a plate holding a cake balanced in his grasp. He talked a mile a minute, questions about the flight and England intermingled with 'how old are you's and 'do you like cake?', so much so that he had quite forgotten to introduce the two boys lingering in the corner, unable to decide whether they should make themselves known.

In the end Izumo did it when he returned, introducing Yata (who stammered, blushed and didn't meet her eyes; a fact that Aoi never forgot) first and then Kamamoto (who gave a polite yet abrupt 'yo', though he didn't seem unkind). In return Aoi named herself and, before she could try Totsuka's cake, was dragged away by her cousin, through the door by the bar and up the stairs. She wasn't complaining; between you, me and Aoi, she wasn't entirely sure the cake should be moving.

"This'll be your room." Izumo told his cousin, gesturing through the door they stood outside of. It was the last door down the corridor and, according to her cousin, had the best view. Next door to her was Izumo's room, then another empty room. Across from there were the bedrooms of Anna and Mikoto, two friends of Izumo she had yet to meet. Secretly she fretted that Anna wouldn't like her (being a friend of Izumo's she would have to be at least twenty-one; and she probably smoked too). What if she thought Aoi weird? Izumo had warned her not to enter either of the bedrooms without permission, particularly if she went in unannounced, so there must be a reason for it.

Aoi pushed open the door and grinned. It was simple; there was a bed pushed up against the left wall, a wardrobe on her right, and a desk in the far corner, overlooking a park. It was better than she had expected, honestly. She'd had half a mind to pack a sleeping bag.

"It's great; thank you, Izumo." She smiled sincerely at him. Izumo nodded his head, smiled, and backed out of the room.

"I'm glad you like it. I'll leave you to get settled in, alright? Come downstairs once you're done." Aoi nodded and closed the door behind him with a sigh. She was exhausted, but happy. Izumo's friends, so far, seemed nice; they didn't hate her at least. Well, maybe Yata did (he didn't even look at her!) but she supposed she would find that out later, when she got to know everyone better.

Kicking off her boots, Aoi opened up the first of her two suitcases and began untidily unloading her clothes into the wardrobe and scattering her makeup and hair things over one side of the desk. The other side could hold her writing things, she decided with a grin.

It was simple, but it was hers and it had been given (lent) to her by Izumo. That made it perfect enough to her.

"Right." Aoi, hands on her hips, gave a purposeful nod as she appraised the room. Her suitcases were open and mostly unpacked on her floor, her boots lay skew-whiff on the floor and, just for good measure, she had tossed back the bedcovers and rumpled them a little. "Perfect."

Aoi left her bedroom, planning on going downstairs to her cousin, when she noticed two of the doors were now open.

Biting her lip in an attempt to hide her mischievous grin (though it only enhanced it), Aoi glanced down the corridor, over her shoulder, and slipped her head through the opening of the first door.

* * *

"What is it?" Mikoto looked down at Anna, who had wandered into his room for something or other (he was half asleep when she asked him, give him a break).

"Someone's in my bedroom." Her voice was small, almost emotionless, but her words were not without weight. Mikoto raised an eyebrow, sighed heavily and pushed himself up on one arm. Of course she wanted him to go and see, even though she knew exactly who it was. Mikoto had learned it was best not to argue with her.

Grabbing his shirt and tugging it on over his head, he stood up and wandered out of his own bedroom, not caring either way if Anna followed him or not. As it was, she followed close behind him as he walked the few steps between their bedrooms and leaned on the doorframe.

There was a girl in there, about eighteen or so, that was looking around the bedroom, her expression confused. After a moment, one hand scratching lazily underneath his shirt, Mikoto spoke up.

"Oi. What are you doing?"


	3. Chapter 2- Mad Mad World

**Chapter 2- Mad Mad World**

"A-ah-" Aoi's feet were glued to the floor, her tongue to the roof of her mouth. What could she say; she had been curious as to the personality of the woman living with her cousin and so poked around in her boudoir for answers? Somehow she didn't think that would cut it.

Besides, a few seconds after the man spoke, she realised that 'Anna' must be the young girl tucked behind his leg. Cursing mentally, though how could she have known?, Aoi stood up straight and attempted to stutter her way out of explaining her, rather embarrassing, position.

"I-I was...looking...for-"

The little girl, Anna, suddenly stepped forward and stared up at Aoi through a marble made of red glass. Her expression changed minutely, her forehead, smooth and white like porcelain, wrinkled and straightened, while her pink lips parted and pursed with it. Indifferent, curious, surprise, resignation, all in the space of a few seconds. Aoi wasn't sure she herselfhad that kind of emotional capacity.

"U-um-" Aoi began again, distracted by Anna's staring. After a moment Anna turned around and looked back at Mikoto.

"She's red." Her voice was soft, quiet; a complete contrast to the older man's gravelly tone.

"What?" The man refrained from scratching himself and looked at the little girl, no change in his expression other than his eyebrow lifting a millimeter.

"Red." Anna murmured again, though it appeared to be to herself rather than to the man in the doorway, who had to be Mikoto Suoh, the occupant of the third bedroom and Izumo's best friend. Aoi thought she could remember him very vaguely from her time in Japan, most of which she spent tagging along behind her cousin. Mikoto was younger than Izumo, but older than Aoi, she seemed to remember.

"Mm." Mikoto didn't seem to bothered. His amber eyes lazily flickered around the room and over her, making her feel almost intruded upon, so she looked away. His stare wasn't lewd, like that of so many men she knew, but it was intense, hot, and she couldn't suppress a shiver. Despite that, she swore that the temperature of the room was growing with every second that passed, though it had been quite cool when she first walked in.

"Aoi! What are you doing in the-ah." The heat Aoi had noticed subsided almost entirely when Izmo entered the doorway. Mikoto gave her one last look, then turned around and left, taking Anna with him.

"I-I-"

Izumo simply sighed and folded his arms, leaning back on the doorframe as he appraised his cousin.

"What am I going to do with you?" With a shake of his head he stood up straight again, switching into his usual, cheerful persona. "Well! I suppose it saves me introducing you to Mikoto and Anna. Come on, Tatara made dinner for us. Don't worry it's perfectly safe; I supervised."

The embarrassment slowly died away in Aoi's cheeks and she nodded, her smile growing, and followed Izumo out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

「K」

"So, you're Aoi?" The speaker was a charming young man who stood up from the bar immediately upon her arrival. He was older than Aoi but younger than her cousin, good looking and Aoi was positive he knew it.

"A-ah...yes?" Aoi said, her answer broken in her confusion. Who was he?

Come to think of it, now she looked around, there were quite a few new people in the room, all of them male. On one of the sofas sat Mikoto and Anna, on another Yata and Rikio. At the bar sat the man who was speaking to her along with a boy with glasses and a hat, who seemed exasperated by what he was watching. Further along the bar there were two more, one with his hood pulled up all the way over a hat and sunglasses, the other wearing a baseball cap and a cheery smile. On her left the door swung open and two other men walked in, one with spiky hair, the other pale blonde.

_R-reverse harem?!_

The charming speaker grinned and put his arm around her, taking her hand in at attempt to guide her to a seat next to him at the bar.

"I'm Yō Chitose, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Aoi glanced at her cousin behind her, whose bright smile was stretching to an unnatural degree, and quickly pulled her hand free.

"Aoi Tanaka." Stepping to the side, Aoi smiled at the boy, not quite _charmingly, _but nicely enough. Though teasing her cousin was fun, he was terrifying when provoked. "You too."

Apparently appeased, her cousin pulled out a chair for both of them at the bar and she sat down, Izumo on one side and Yō on the other. Unfortunately for her, her admirer wasn't so easily dissuaded.

"You know-"

"Leave the girl alone, Chitose." The voice didn't come from her cousin, surprisingly, but from the man in the glasses on Chitose's other side. "You're bothering her, _and _Kusanagi."

Leaning into the bar, Aoi moved so she could see her saviour clearly. He was still berating his friend for attempting to hit on a minor, while Yō pretended to listen, a bored scowl pulling his eyebrows together.

"She's eighteen-"

"She's a _minor."_

"You worry too much."

"You hit on girls too much!"

Sitting back in her chair Aoi turned back to her cousin, hiding a giggle. From what she could decipher Izumo's mood had improved considerably since Yō first talked to her; going from murderous, to thunderous, to irate and finally to an interesting (and mildly concerning) mix of sadism and ill disguised humour.

"_Food's ready!" _Tatara made a dramatic entrance, hands encased in pink flowery oven gloves that cradled a steaming plate. For a moment Aoi feared he would drop it, the man was practically _skipping, _but he made it to the table in time and set it down. The group of males swarmed around the table and Aoi followed her cousin, finding herself dragged into a seat between him and Tatara, who immediately struck up a conversation with her.

Accompanied by alcohol and good food, Aoi found herself loosening up and enjoying everyone's company. She just about managed to remember everyone's names, though nobody minded when she got them wrong, and she couldn't remember the last time she laughed so hard. Every so often she caught Izumo looking at her out of the corner of her eye and she assumed he was worried about how she was really getting along with his friends, so she would toast Tatara one more time, wave Anna off to bed, and stretch her smile as wide as she could.

It was still fairly early when Izumo made them leave. He insisted he didn't mind, that he was tired too, but she knew it was for her sake really so she hugged him as tight as she could before heading up the stairs to bed.

_They weren't really what I expected. Izumo is so calm and they're all so rowdy...but I couldn't say I didn't enjoy it. They seem nice._

Nice, but strange, she thought after a moment. Very strange. Yata still couldn't talk to her, even after a few drinks, and they were so loud she was surprised her ears hadn't dropped off. Even as she thought about these things, the realisation came upon her that since she had left Japan, Izumo had moved on with his life, as she knew he would. He couldn't be a teenager forever, but it was still disconcerting to think about. He had a whole new life that up until she wasn't a part of despite them being so close.

It made her a little sad at first, but she cheered up when she realised that, in coming back, she was now a part of his world again, no matter how insane it may turn out to be, and she wouldn't give it up for anything.


	4. Chapter 3- Eyes of Blue

**Okay so this is basically a very short filler chapter! I've already started the next chapter, and normally I don't do this but can I get some reviews on this chapter before I upload the next one please? It's really helpful to get constructive criticism and to see what you guys like so that I can deliver more!**

**Also, you may notice that I have changed the name of the story back to 'The Barmaid'! That's because I wanted to use the title I had previously for a story that shall be uploaded soon and you'll hear more about it in the future! (That is...if you like Fairy Tail *hint hint hint*)**

* * *

**Chapter 3- Eyes of Blue**

Hours earlier found a man in blue sat in his office, a jigsaw puzzle laid out on the table in front of him. He observed it through his glasses, the light from a computer screen reflected in the slim frames. As he set another piece in place there was a knock at the door, and without looking up he spoke.

"Enter." Reisi Munakata's voice was deep but youthful, authority ringing through every syllable. It was as it should be for the King of Scepter 4.

The door opened and in walked a young woman, her hair light blonde and a slim black tablet tucked under her arm. Seri Awashima. She wore the same blue uniform as her superior, the man at the desk, though she wore a dress, and the coattails swished around her legs as she approached him.

"Captain." She held the tablet out to him and he took it without taking his eyes off the jigsaw in front of him.

"Thank you, Awashima." Reisi's lips flickered into an amused smile as he read the file. "Ah."

After a moment passed without her captain revealing anything, Seri prompted him. "Sir?"

"Send Fushimi to see me, would you?" The Captain placed the tablet on his desk and returned to the puzzle, almost complete.

Seri gave a bow, her annoyance expertly hidden. He would tell her soon enough anyway, he always did. "Yes, sir." She turned and left the room, her heels clicking loudly on the floor.

True to her word, moments later a slim young man entered the room. He regarded the decor, and most everything, with an air of distaste that twisted his fairly handsome features into something almost ugly. It pulled his frame down into a lazy slouch. The only thing defying the gravitational force of his bad attitude was his hair, half pushed back with one product or another. This was Saruhiko Fushimi, lieutenant of Scepter 4.

"You wanted to see me, Captain." It was a statement, not a question. He could never be bothered with questions.

"Yes." Reisi looked up briefly before returning to his puzzle. "I believe Homra has a new addition. Observe her and report back to me, effective immediately."

"Tch." Saruhiko wasn't impressed. He _wasn't_ Reisi's dog, and going back to Homra wasn't exactly high on his to do list so the combination of the two froze the ice behind his glare. "What are you thinking about her?"

Reisi smiled, though his attitude deserved reprimand, and handed the tablet to his lieutenant.

"Nothing. Yet. It's Homra I'm concerned about."

"Tch," Saruhiko had turned to leave, his hands stuffed in his pockets with the tablet under his arm, when Reisi spoke again.

"Fushimi?"

"Yes sir?" The words themselves were polite, but they drawled rather than spoken, lazy as usual.

"Don't let her find out."

There was a heavy sigh.

"_Yes, sir."_

Reisi almost laughed, but instead placed another puzzle piece in the correct spot. _Plunk. _Two more.

"Dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Saruhiko left the office, long lazy strides taking him to his dormitory room. He had finished his reports anyway.

His pale hands were steady as they tugged his uniform off creamy skin, not for one moment betraying the beating heart which lay beneath. The young lieutenant changed into every day clothes, jeans and a thin striped sweater, and exited the building altogether.

This...would be hard.


	5. Chapter 4- The Warmth of Red

**Not going to try and big it up; this is a complete and total filler chapter. I'm sorry *hangs head*. It's just basically setting up the scene and relationships that will develop in the next few chapters. I promise that the next chapter will be more interesting!**

* * *

**Chapter 4- The Warmth of Red**

It had been two weeks since Aoi had arrived in Japan. Her cousin had been somewhat merciful, allowing her some time to adjust to being in Japan again before she began work as a barmaid at Homra, though that time would soon be up. She only had a few more days and then she knew she was in for a rough ride. Izumo was a monster when it came to his bar, and them being related wouldn't change a thing, except maybe to make him harsher towards her.

They had even been to buy her uniform, though Izumo had been a lot more enthusiastic about it than Aoi. He was convinced that the sight of her in the uniform would bring new customers in; a complete contrast to his behaviour on the evening of her arrival and every moment since where boys were concerned.

Now she sat, her nose buried in one of her favourite novels, _Alice in Wonderland, _trying to reacquaint herself with kanji in the least painful way possible. She was settled in one of the booths in the corner of the bar, her bare feet up on the seat opposite her, and as she turned the page she heard her stomach growl.

"Perfect timing." Aoi looked up at the sound of a voice to see Tatara stood wearing a large smile and a flowery apron, a plate of cookies in his hand. "I was just wondering if you'd try these for me?"

"Sure." Aoi grinned, setting the book down on the table. Tatara sat diagonally opposite her and put the cookies down, taking one for himself and offering her one. At the same time they took a bite, and Aoi hummed in delight. Chocolate chip were her favourite.

Still warm, the biscuit snapped and crumbled in her mouth, the chocolate oozing out and heating her mouth.

"So? What do you think?" Tatara's voice was eager, obviously having liked the biscuit himself and ready for her response.

"Great!" She nodded, polishing off the biscuit and taking another between two fingers. "You make good chocolate chip cookies."

"I have a talent for them." Tatara agreed, smugly, also taking another. "What are you reading then?"

"_Alice in Wonderland." _Aoi told him, helping herself to a third cookie and wishing Tatara lived with them above the bar too. "Again. Just in Japanese this time."

Tatara slid out of the booth, his earring flashing as it reflected the moody lighting, and placed one hand on his chest, holding the other up in the air above his _head. "If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't." _

From one of the sofas across the room, Anna looked up in interest. Well Aoi _thought _it was interest; her eyes were wider, and she was no longer looking down at her marbles, but that was all she could see, really.

Aoi laughed and clapped Tatara, who was now mock bowing to her.

"Perfect! You'd make a brilliant Alice." She teased. Tatara sat down with a pout that she didn't believe in, and took another cookie.

"How rude!" He cried, putting one hand over his heart as if wounded. "Just like Kusanagi-san. I can tell you're related."

Aoi simply laughed and popped a biscuit into her mouth whole. She had been told she was chatty before, but she had a feeling that with Tatara really took the biscuit with this one; pun intended, thank you very much.

"Listen, Aoi, you like _Alice in Wonderland_ don't you?" Tatara leaned forward, taking her hands in earnest. Aoi swallowed, aware that _nobody _looked attractive from that small a distance while eating.

"Yes?" Tatara stood up quickly, letting go of her, and ran over to the other side of the bar. In a flash he was back, an iPod and a long cable in his hand.

_An iPod? What in the world-_

"So do I! Maybe we have the same taste in music too!"

_How does that correlate?!_

Aoi heard a sigh from the other side of the room and guessed that Mikoto wasn't a fan of the whatever music Tatara liked.

"S-sure!" The teenager stuttered, settling down in her seat to listen. A movement on her left caught her notice, and Aoi realised that Anna had moved from her seat beside Mikoto and now knelt at Tatara's feet, looking up at him in eager anticipation.

"Right!" Tatara grinned and plugged the player in.

* * *

Saruhiko pushed aside his shirt to scratch absently at the bandage over his chest. He wasn't supposed to touch it yet, but he always did. He was staring out of the window of the twenty-four hour shop opposite HOMRA, his eyes directed at the bar but unseeing.

"-sir?"

"Hm?" Saruhiko looked around at the sound of the annoying voice, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Oh."

He took the bag that was offered to him over the counter and left the shop without another word. He couldn't even remember what he'd bought, he just knew he'd used Scepter 4's credit card to do it. Upon inspection he found he had bought two packs of chewing gum, a can of cold coffee, a packet of tissues and a magazine about cars.

With an irritated click of his tongue he threw the magazine away, took a seat on a bench around the corner and opened the coffee.

From here he couldn't see the bar, but he couldn't afford to be spotted by one of Mikoto's dogs, particularly considering how they knew him. He'd give it a few minutes then walk past; tomorrow he'd find somewhere to stay during the day using Scepter 4's authority.

"Tch." Saruhiko took a swig of the coffee and propped his chin up on the back of his hand, elbow on the bench arm. It was all a big waste of time if you asked him which, of course, the Captain never did, nor would he listen if Saru voiced his opinion. He wouldn't, though; that would require effort.

With a groan he pushed himself to his feet, crumpling the empty can and throwing it in the bin, along with the rest of his purchases. Shoving his hands into his trouser pockets, Saruhiko began to walk.

It wasn't long before he passed the bar. The lieutenant ducked his head, lest he be recognised, and glanced inside surreptitiously. The girl in question, Aoi Tanaka, was stood with Tatara and Anna in front of Mikoto, who was slouched in his usual position on the sofa. Tatara was talking manically, Aoi was laughing and Anna was staring at the King beseechingly. Mikoto himself refused to look at any of them, he had his eyes closed and his chin tucked in towards his chest, but there was a reluctant yet almost playful smile on his lips, exposing sharp teeth.

Saruhiko clicked his tongue and moved on. The girl, Aoi, seemed to get on well with those present, though he couldn't gauge how close they were or what relationship they had from here.

Turning away, Saruhiko started the long walk back to Scepter 4. His right hand picked away at his bandage incessantly and finally he ripped it away to scratch at the half-healed burn covering the Homra tattoo on his chest.

* * *

"Goodnight!" Aoi waved at her cousin and Mikoto, her other hand covering the door handle of the door to the stairs. Even as she spoke a yawn came out and, embarrassed, she raised both hands up to cover her mouth.

"Night, Aoi." Izumo chuckled from the bar, waving his cloth at her. Mikoto gave a half-hearted wave and a mumbled 'night'. Aoi didn't mind; she didn't really expect much. With a smile and another wave she left the room and headed up the stairs, rubbing at her eyes with her book tucked under her arm.

Despite being exhausted previously, by the time she got into bed Aoi was wide awake again. With a sigh, she covered her head with a pillow and groaned loudly, though not enough to wake Anna in the next room.

Rolling over, Aoi frowned, reflecting on the day's events.

Today had been a weird day. Fun, but definitely weird.

Tatara was the main source of the oddness. Once or twice she had caught him referring to Mikoto as 'King', a strange nickname from one fully grown man to another, she had decided. Anna had been giving her some funny looks too. It wasn't the marbles, Izumo had explained that to her, but Anna had looked at her as if she was some sort of mystery that needed solving, as if by staring at her she could figure out the meaning of life, the universe and everything (which, in Aoi's opinion, was forty-two).

Dismissing these suspicious thoughts, Aoi removed he pillow from her face and out it back under her head. She was probably overreacting. People gave their friends lots of weird nicknames, and Anna was likely just trying to adjust to having a stranger around, as well as another female.

Yes, she was probably just overreacting.

Probably.


	6. Chapter 5- Not of Importance

**Okay so I'm sorry for not updating! School has started and I actually planned to get a fair chunk of this story done in the summer, however I had a bit of a tizz and at one point decided to discontinue the story. However I soon got over it and hey presto! It's an extra long chapter as an apology aha.**

**Just a heads up; I've been looking forward to writing the next chapter since I started to plan the story! *squeals***

**Chapter 5- Not of Importance**

"Okay, let's run through this one more time."

Aoi groaner and flopped against the bar, burying her head in her hands. It was the day before her first evening at work and her cousin was attempting to teach her how to waitress properly. Yata, unfortunately for him, had walked in just before they began and had been roped into playing the customer. It was a little hard to understand him through all the stuttering, but Aoi thought she was doing well all things considered.

"But I'm _tired_." She groaned, and was rewarded with a slap to the back of her head with a dishcloth. "Ow! Hey!"

"Come on, stop being lazy. You're almost there." Izumo scolded her from behind the bar. "Just try it once more."

Aoi huffed, but pushed off the bar and slid off her seat, picking up her tray and flashing Yata a large smile.

"Welcome to HOMRA!" Her voice was chipper and bright, almost as if they hadn't had the previous conversation. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"I-I-I'll have the curry!" Yata told her, his head turned away. He hadn't once met her eyes since she'd been living there, and it was getting tiring. All the others seemed to like her well enough, so why didn't he?

"Coming right up." Aoi chirped, turning around to face Izumo before slumping her shoulders and sighing. "Was _that _any better?"

"Wonderful! Absolutely _darling." _Her cousin replied, waving the dishcloth about dramatically, like a rich man would a handkerchief.

"Did you _really _have to be that condescending?" The brunette took a seat and dropped her head into her arms. "It's tiring smiling so much."

Izumo chuckled and set a cup of tea next to her ear, earning him a grateful smile. "Well, you'll get used to it."

"_Good morning everyone!"_

"Ah, good morning, Totsuka." Izumo spoke and Aoi gave a small wave from where she was sat, her head resting on her hand as she sipped her tea. Totsuka, who had just entered the bar, came to sit next to her, petting her head playfully.

"Is that all, Kusanagi?" Yata piped up, looking determinedly at Izumo, his eyes unwavering. Aoi frowned and rested her chin on her arms, scowling into her cup of tea.

"Mm. You can go if you want. Be back at noon; Mikoto wants to talk to you."

"Alright. See you later." With that Yata grabbed his skateboard and was out of the door in a flash, letting it swing and slam shut behind him.

"Okay, _what _is his problem?" Aoi swung herself around on her chair to face Tatara, her cheeks blown out in irritation. "Is he this rude to _everyone _or is it just me?"

"Who, Yata?" Tatara laughed and petted Aoi's head again. She swatted him off with a pout, not wanting to be patronized but too close to the older man to get mad. "Well he's not rude to _everyone. _Just girls. And he's actually trying _not _to be rude, he just...ah...well, he just can't talk to them."

Aoi paused, her irritation quickly fading, replaced with curiosity.

"He...can't talk to girls?" Her voice was hesitant, head tilted slightly to the side.

"Yeah. I'm not sure why. Kusanagi, do you know?" Tatara directed his attention over Aoi's head and she turned around to face her cousin behind the bar.

"About Yata?" Izumo shook his head. "No, come to think of it, I don't. Maybe he just doesn't know any girls. The only one I know of that he sees on a regular basis is Anna, and she's so young it doesn't make much of a difference."

"Mm." Aoi nodded slowly, but Izumo was no longer paying attention; instead he was attempting to defend himself from Tatara's complaints about his comment on Anna.

Needless to say she felt awful for assuming the worst about Yata, though she wished someone had said something earlier. Still, she shouldn't have been so quick to get defensive about it.

"Oi." Aoi jumped as Izumo's dishcloth, a dangerous weapon if ever there was one, flipped her nose. "Come on, no slacking off; we might not be open for business yet but today is technically your first day working for me. I need you to wipe down the tables and make Anna dinner."

"But I can't coo-"

"_No excuses!"_

Aoi leaned on the bar using her right elbow, using her left hand to tug the back of her boot higher up on her calf. So far the night had been fairly slow and she was, dare she say it, _enjoying _herself. The only people in the room were a few men, about her father's age, who were nice enough and hadn't caused any trouble. Unfortunately, she realised when the door swung open, slamming against the wall enough to make Izumo cringe from behind the bar, the peace wasn't going to last very long.

In walked a group of six, all men. They couldn't be much older than her, probably about Tatara's age, but they were loud, laughing raucously. It wasn't the kind of laughter that Aoi heard around the bar regularly, when Tatara performed some kind of magic trick and made Kamamoto almost split his sides, but the kind that gave her the chills, anxiety running deep through the pit of her stomach.

Pushing through, she forced a smile to her face and walked up to the booth that they sat down in, pulling her notebook out of the apron she wore above her short skirt and plucking the pencil out from behind her ear, tray tucked under her arm.

"Welcome to HOMRA! Is there anything I can get you?" She looked up at them all and smiled just like her cousin taught her.

One man, he had purple hair that covered one half of his face, turned to his friend and laughed, making some lewd remark about _her _that set Aoi on edge. Her cheeks were burning and she gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to tug her skirt down lower. It wasn't _her _fault they had no manners.

"I'm sorry, but harassing workers is against our policy." She told them, icily, though they were paying more attention to the length of her skirt than to her. Aoi actually had no idea whether she was telling the truth or not, but assumed Izumo wouldn't want them being so disgusting; and at any rate, _she _wasn't going to stand for it. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave now."

"_But darlin', we just got here-!"_

"_Lighten up a little!"_

"_It was only a joke-"_

"_Yeah, it's not _our _fault your skirt's so short!"_

"_You're just askin' for-"_

"I am not asking for anything!" Aoi interrupted, hotly. By this point her entire face was flaming, through anger or humiliation she was no longer sure, but all she really wanted to do was go upstairs and cry. How could someone be so _wrong? _ "You need to leave, now, or I'll fetch the owner."

"_I think we hurt her feelin's-"_

"_Isn't that a pity?"_

"_There's no need to get the owner-"_

"_We were just havin' some _fun-"

Aoi turned away, ready to fetch her cousin, but the man on the end grabbed her wrist, twisting it sharply and tugging her back to him. Unable to take it any more, Aoi grabbed the tray from under her arm and smacked him across the back of his head with a loud '_crack'_, forcing him to let go.

Breathing heavily she moved back from them a few steps, trying to reassert herself. She had to show she was _in charge _and _get them out. _Aoi swallowed and tried to speak.

"You need to lea-"

"_Bitch-"_

"_Who does she think she is?"_

"_Better teach her a-"_

"Oi."

Aoi, along with the men, looked around in shock at the interruption. At the bar sat Mikoto, whiskey glass in hand, burning a hole through them with his gaze. There was silence from everyone present for a few long seconds, before Mikoto spoke again.

"She said get out. So get out. You're annoying me, anyway."

"You heard him." Piped up Izumo (_where was he when I was getting harassed?! _Aoi thought, irritated) from behind the bar. "Get out. Now."

"_Shitty bar-"_

"_Wasn't gonna stay-"_

"_Stupid bitch-"_

Aoi breathed a sigh of relief as they left, pressing the tray to her chest and rubbing her left wrist where it had been grabbed. There was sure to be a bruise there in the morning.

It took her a few moments but she managed a smile, forcing weak knees to take her to the bar. They steadied with every step, and by the time she got there her heart rate was almost back to normal.

"Thank you, Mikoto." She started, gratefully. "I don't know what I would have done if-"

"It doesn't matter. They were annoying me anyway." The man spoke into his whiskey, refusing to look at her. Aoi bit back a smile.

"Still. I really appreciate it."

"You know you should savour this." Izumo added in, conversationally, leaning on the bar. "She isn't usually this polite."

"And _you_!" Aoi smacked her cousin's shoulder with the back of her hand. "Where were _you_ when I was getting harassed? At least Mikoto had the decency to step in!"

Izumo merely shrugged, rubbing the shoulder she abused. "I thought you could handle it."

"Oh for God's sake-"

"Fushimi. What was it you wanted?" Reisi pushed another jigsaw piece into place and looked up, almost smiling at his subordinate over the rim of his glasses.

"You wanted to know what I thought about the Homra girl-"

"Yes, Aoi Tanaka."

"-and I think we're wasting our time." Saruhiko's voice was full of irritation, as if it was a pain to even try and get out of such a laborious task. "She's just a girl; she's not of importance to Homra."

Reisi looked back at his puzzle, appraising the bigger picture before homing in on a cluster of empty spaces in the centre. "You think so?"

Saruhiko sighed and clicked his tongue before answering. "_Yes."_

"I see."

There was a long pause.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Fushimi?"

"Do you wish me to carry on my investigation?"

"Yes, Fushimi."

Another sigh. Saruhiko decided to try being semi-respectful.

"With all due respect, sir-"

"You disagree." It wasn't a question. Reisi looked up again. "I believe we need more time and more information. My orders still stand. No objections."

_Tch._

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

Saruhiko left the room, face contorted into a frown of irritation. His pale hand tugged uncomfortably at the collar of his shirt, moving the material aside so he could reach the scar underneath, tracing the old mark of loyalty with a long, creamy finger before twisting and using the nail to scratch deeply.

Playing the invisible babysitter to Homra and their new brat was getting to him, it was true, but that wasn't why he wanted his mission terminating. There really _was _nothing special about Aoi Tanaka; from what he could see she was an average teenage girl living with her cousin.

His frowned deepened. Reisi would never have him perform a useless task...so that meant there was something he was missing. Something he wasn't picking up on.

Resolving to pay more attention, more out of irritation and spite than actual commitment to his job or superior, Saruhiko went back to his dorm to prepare again.

There had to be something more to her...but what?

Aoi yawned and dragged her tired feet up the stairs, for once itching to remove her favourite boots from her feet. It was about one in the morning and her entire body _ached._ "Goodnight, Izumo, Mikoto."

"Goodnight, Aoi. Sleep well." Izumo gave a small smile, which the brunette returned. Mikoto gave a wave, wafting smoke everywhere from the cigarette between his fingers, and took a sip from his glass.

"Night." He grunted. Aoi grinned and headed up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Night!"

Once the door was shut behind her and Izumo was sure his cousin was upstairs, he turned to his friend with a smirk. Mikoto raised an eyebrow and grunted, questioningly.

"What?"

"It seems," Izumo picked up his own glass. "You have a fan, _senpai_."

"Fuck off."

Aoi kicked off her boots and flopped onto her bed face first. She _really _couldn't be bothered to get changed...but that would mean wearing the same uniform she slept in the next day...

With a sigh she rolled over and sat up, quickly changing and tying up hair before flopping down on the mattress.

Thankfully after the 'incident' with the customers Mikoto had to kick out the rest of the night had been relatively uneventful. She had earned tips, turned a few heads, and hadn't _hated _her job.

Though it _had _got her wondering what she wanted to do in the long term. Did she _really _want to spend her whole life working in her cousins bar? She'd have a job and a place to stay...but she'd hate it. After a few years she'd be sick and tired of it, it was inevitable, and she'd have to start again somewhere.

Aoi buried her face in her pillow and sighed heavily. There was plenty of time to consider the future and half past one in the morning was not one of them. She'd think about it in the morning. Maybe.

Rolling over and pulling the covers up to her chin, Aoi distracted herself with thoughts of that evening. Mikoto...he was normally so indifferent, but his eyes had been so intense...it had even scared her for a moment. It reminded her how little she knew about all of Izumo's friends and how odd they were, particularly him.

There was just..._something _about them. It was intriguing and mysterious and she just knew she'd never feel at rest until she found out what it was.


End file.
